Publisher's Synopsis
In recent years, the reduction in both manufacturing and material costs of Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) has contributed to a growing interest in their possible commercial exploitation in many fields of industry. Incorporation of high strength fibres in light alloys to form MMCs can result in enhanced mechanical properties, but can also modify the good corrosion resistance associated with aluminium and its alloys. This book reviews the present state of published knowledge concerning the behaviour of aluminium-based MMCs in aggressive environments, and highlights potential problems and methods of addressing them. Mechanisms of corrosion characteristic of aluminium and its alloys are presented, and then extended to cover the effect of the presence of a reinforcing phase on the corrosion behaviour of the resulting composite. Particular attention is given to the important reinforcements of silicon carbide and alumina, as well as boron, graphite and mica.
